For children, learning is often a tedious and difficult process. Repetition, one technique typically used in learning, may try the child's patience and cause boredom and frustration. Learning through the association of new ideas with retained knowledge is easier and more interesting for the child.
Most available puzzles include flat pieces which may for example represent the individual states. The flat pieces are placed in abutting relationship with one another to form the United States. The puzzles may include flat pieces representing mountains, lakes and oceans which are assembled with the states. The current puzzles are designed to have the pieces lay on one plane with their edges forming the borders for the next adjacent piece. The problem with this approach is that when a piece, for example the Rocky Mountains, is removed from the puzzle, the pieces representing the states traversed by the mountains no longer resemble the actual shape of the state. The child is then unsure of the true shape of the state. The state pieces include the names of the state and in some instances may include a picture of an item linked with the state. The problem with a picture is that it is not something tangible that the child can pick up and physically place in the correct state. True association learning requires the physical process of connecting the new object to the known object.
One available puzzle of the United States includes several three-dimensional objects representing items of interest in various states such as a lobster for Maine, a potato for Idaho, the Statue of Liberty for New York, etc. The objects are inserted into recesses formed in the flat pieces representing the individual states. The three-dimensional objects and the recesses are shaped so that each object may only be inserted into one recess. By physically inserting the objects into the puzzle, the child begins to associate the items of interest with the particular state. For example, the child learns that lobsters are associated with Maine by fitting the object shaped as a lobster into the recess located in the state of Maine. Thus, the puzzle assists the child in learning information about the United States, such as, most lobsters are harvested in Maine, the Statue of Liberty is located in New York and more potatoes are grown in Idaho than any other state.
A multidimensional puzzle, such as the puzzle of the United States, is useful in association learning since the child physically places the pieces in the puzzle. Providing the recesses of a multi-dimensional puzzle with information identifying the subjects embodied in the three-dimensional objects would further enhance the learning process. The child could use the information to identify one or more of the objects and determine where the objects should be placed. A puzzle with indicia identifying the subject of the object pieces is desirable.
In addition to the individual states, current puzzles may represent an illustration such as a dinosaur, cartoon character, a landscape or another scene of interest with the flat pieces providing portions of the illustration. A multidimensional puzzle in which the flat pieces were provided with a contoured surface would be particularly useful for association learning. For example, a puzzle illustrating various animals in their natural habitat could include pieces with contoured surfaces representing areas of the habitat such as foliage, sand and water. The physical process of touching the contoured surface enhances the child's perception of the illustration, helping the child to learn the habitat of a particular animal. Moreover, the contoured puzzle pieces provide a vivid image which captures and retains the child's attention. Thus, a multidimensional puzzle having three-dimensional background pieces with a contoured front surface is desirable.